Film Africa, the Royal African Society’s celebration of cinema from Africa and its diaspora, has returned to London this week with its ninth edition showcasing 46 titles from 14 countries. As always, the festival’s Baobab Award for Best Short Film has been a highlight. Set up in collaboration with the National Film & Television School’s MA in Film Studies, Programming & Curation, the award aims to enhance opportunities and visibility for emerging African filmmakers. All 10 short-listed films were physically screened at Rich Mix in London and online in partnership with Leeds International Film Festival. And this year’s winner is Henet Ward by Egyptian debut film director, Morad Mostafa.

Born in 1988 in Cairo, Mostafa studied film directing at the Cinema Palace and went on to gain experience as an assistant director for films such as Ali the Goat and Ibrahim and Souad. He’s now directed and written Henet Ward, which has been selected for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France, Durban International Film Festival, BFI Film Festival London and many others. “Although this is the eighth award for the film, this is the first time we have won the grand prize and we are very excited about it,” Mostafa tells us.

Henet Ward offers an emphatic look into the experiences of Sudanese refugees in Egypt and was inspired by a video of a bullied Sudanese student that went viral last year. The protagonist Halima, a henna artist, travels with her seven-year-old daughter Ward, to decorate the bride-to-be of a well-off Egyptian family. “I was motivated to represent a marginalised character and present them as a hero. By placing her in a typical Egyptian setting, I was representing a hero in a very different way to most other narratives,” says Mostafa.

“The film is shot with a 35mm lens because it is the closest way to recreate the vision of the human eye,” he adds. This generates a visceral scene as we appear to view the unveiling narrative through the innocent eyes of Ward. Although a work of fiction, Mostafa incorporates a documentary-style to this film, choosing real locations to emphasise the socio-political realities for both the Egyptians and the refugees depicted.

The artistry is spectacular; the viewer follows the characters through the honey-toned settling of Cairo, catching a glimpse of the pyramids, markets and bustling streets on the way to a typical Egyptian home. The sensory experience created through sound is also vivid; we hear the bride chewing gum, the male cousin urinating with the door open, clinking of beer bottles, raised voices and horses hooves, all of which gives us the feeling we are invading private moments.

“The actors in the film are not actors, they are real characters,” Mostafa explains. “Halima is a henna painter and Ward is her daughter, and we decided to use their real names to blend documentary and fiction.” The combination presents the viewer with a palpable awareness of the world we are gaining insight to, making this film both touching and powerful in equal measure.

As a youngster Mostafa was taken to a henna party with his mother and witnessed the intimacy that happens behind closed doors. The henna ceremony is a space for women only and it is through Ward that the director expresses his own experience of discovering this environment. The bride, Basma, and Halima appear to start off amicably, finding common ground and bonding over womanhood. “The story is about these two women and their interactions. The film is not pointing fingers at the relationship between the Sudanese and Egyptians but rather looking at the tension that builds in two different people when placed under the same roof.”

The antagonist Hassan, Basma’s cousin, disrupts the party and chaos ensues. “Egyptian society is very male orientated and dominated. I wanted to show this through Hassan’s character. He is the main reason the party implodes into a fight.” To Ward, the happenings of the day appear absurd, allowing the viewer to see how social othering due to cultural or gender differences causes a toxic landscape of tension and distrust.

Mostafa has two more shorts and a feature film on the horizon for 2021, and after the exceptional success of Henet Ward, his coming films are ones to watch.

Find more information on The Boabab Awards here.

Many thanks to Executive Producer, Sawsan Yusuf, for translating the interview.

Words Xanthe Somers

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Published on 07/11/2020